Sticky Cilantro-Lime Chicken Thighs
Juicy and smoky chicken thighs slathered in a sticky honey-lime glaze and a generous handful of fresh cilantro. Make it on the stove or the grill!
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Trim excess fat from chicken thighs and season with garlic, paprika, onion powder, black pepper, liquid smoke (if cooking on the stove) and ½ a cup of the cilantro.2 lbs chicken thighs, 8 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoon paprika, 2 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 cup cilantro, 2 teaspoon liquid smoke
- Add soy sauce and honey to chicken thighs and mix until evenly covered.⅓ cup soy sauce, ½ cup honey
Instructions for Cooking on the Grill
- Preheat grill to 450°F
- Place the chicken thighs on the grill and allow to cook completely - about 4-7 minutes on each side. Bone-in chicken thighs will need more time to cook fully.Do NOT discard the marinade!
- Once the chicken thighs have cooked completely, transfer to tray and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
- While the chicken rests, prepare the sauce by reducing the marinade in a small saucepan along with the minced ginger (and red pepper flakes if using) over medium heat until it reaches a syrupy consistency (like hot maple syrup). This should only take about 5 minutes.2 teaspoon ginger, red pepper flakes
- Remove the sauce from the heat then stir in the lime juice.2 medium limes
- Pour the sauce over the chicken thighs and toss with the remaining ½ cup of cilantro. Serve hot over white rice or your favorite side.1 cup cilantro
If you enjoy a char on your chicken, cook it directly over the flame until it reaches your desired color then move it to a section of your without direct flames and allow it to finish coking all the way through.
Instructions for Cooking on Stovetop
- Bring a large pan up to medium heat and add the oil to the pan.2-3 TABLEspoons oil
- Add the chicken thighs to the pan, laying each thigh flat to make sure it cooks evenly. Cook completely on each side for 5-7 minutes. Bone-in chicken will take longer to cook.Do NOT discard the marinade!
- Once all the chicken is cooked, remove the thighs from the pan and set aside.
- With the stove still on medium heat, add the ginger (and red pepper flakes if using) along with the marinade to the pan and allow it to reduce for 5 minutes until it has a syrupy consistency, like hot maple syrup. Turn off the heat, then stir in the lime juice.2 teaspoon ginger, 2 medium limes, red pepper flakes
- Return all the chicken thighs to the pan, flipping as needed to coat all sides of the chicken and add the remaining ½ cup of cilantro. Serve hot over rice or your desired side!1 cup cilantro
- Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Don't overcrowd the pan and cook the chicken in batches as needed if your pan isn't big enough.
Nutrition
Notes
- You can also use this marinade for wings, drumsticks, steak or shrimp!
- If cooking on a grill, preheat the grill with two zones - one for charring over direct heat and the other to rest and continue cooking without further charring. For a charcoal grill, pile the briquettes in half of the barrel. For gas grills, simply turn one set of the burners to high and the other to low.
- Don't like cilantro? That's fine. You can omit it or swap with your favorite herb. I like parsley.